He spoke at the Peace Summit "Nelson Mandela" held on the centenary of the birth anniversary of this Noble prize winner at the General Assembly of the United Nations.
"Montenegro, despite challenges and conflicts in the environment, has preserved internal stability and opened its borders for hundreds of thousands of refugees which was a natural choice for our country, which is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic tolerant environment," Markovic said.
According to him, on the foundations of intertwined nations, religions, cultures, independence has been restored exactly one hundred and nine years after the first world peace mission.
"It is a special honor to note today that at the Summit, bearing the name of Nelson Mandela, I have the opportunity to remind you that Montenegrin soldiers were sent to Crete to, as it was said then, act on behalf of the mediation and reconciliation between the Cretan Greeks and the Turks," Markovic said.
He recalled that the Montenegrin flags that took off from Cetinje on January 11th, 1897, paved the paths for the men with blue helmets of the United Nations, and seventy soldiers, eight sub-officers and two officers of the Montenegrin army, made their country be proud forever.
"I made this reminder above all, to give glory to all those brave women and men who, under blue flags of the UN, risk their lives to help others and contribute to the values we stand for at the East River, to provide peace at every corner of the global map," Markovic said.
He said that the former president of South Africa is a true hero of the modern age and a man who, in times of the most difficult challenges after the Second World War, found power and wisdom to make the modern world a better place to live.
"Keeping in mind the memory of the fearless spirit of Nelson Mandela, humanity and this noble home in which we are today, preserve the obligation to build the future on the foundations he has set with his dedicated struggle, initiated as an impenetrable battle for the liberation and prosperity of South Africa, and ending with the victory of the new world based on the fundamental values for the progress of the entire mankind," Markovic said. It is on these principles, he added, that we must base our own aspirations to make the present world a better place for everyone.
"The challenges entailed by the present, compounded by the growing populism lead to the division of modern societies that can shake security and peace, and their overall progress. I believe that only a strong common response, with further devotion for strengthening multilateralism, as synonyms for the agreement between people and nations and symbols of universal solidarity, can guarantee this progress," Markovic said.
To achieve this goal, he believes, it is necessary to have an efficient and effective United Nations which, by promoting the sacred values of peace, justice, human rights and equality, represent a stable anchor for all individual hopes and aspirations.
Based on the legacy left by Nelson Mandela, we can make this globe of diversity into a long-term viable and healthy living space in which to develop strong economies, preserve the environment, turn society to citizens and provide conditions for the fertile future of the upcoming generations," Markovic said.
He stated that there is no better course of idealism than the work of the great Nelson Mandela.
He concluded his speech with a reminder that as an expression of the deepest respect for the legacy of Nelson Mandela, children in schools throughout Montenegro after his death paid particular tribute and that Nelson Mandela would always remain an inspiration to the present and future generations of the whole world.
Text by MINA, on September 25th, 2018, read more at Vijesti
